Marine fish, delivered in a day

Caught from the high seas, fish finds its way to the Bengaluru markets through a maze of middlemen. But this complex process lasting two-three days could trigger fish decay, an inevitability masked by ice-packing and the dangerous liquid ammonia. Online marketplace, FreshToHome is now out to disrupt this risky supply chain, by totally eliminating the middlemen.

So, how does FreshToHome manage to deliver six tonnes of fish to 1,500 houses daily, just a day after the marine delicacy reaches the coast? By sourcing the fish directly from fishermen and transporting them quickly to the city through a fleet of dedicated vehicles, explains Shan Kadavil, FreshToHome’s co-founder.

The coast is highly fragmented with over a thousand points where the fish brought in vessels big and small are auctioned off. To streamline this traditional, unorganised process, FreshToHome developed an Android App that helped fishermen bid the price at which they want to sell their stock. “The App acts as an easy-to-use, pictorial bidding platform. The purchase order is placed based on the bids.”

Quick transport
Fish purchased this way from 100 coast points in South India are then ferried by trucks to a processing unit in Hennur, Bengaluru. “We have a vehicle for every 100 kms to conveniently source the fish from an entire area. At the processing centre, the fish is cleaned, tested for ammonia, formalin and chlorine; cut into steaks or fillets and packaged, before being delivered to the houses,” says Kadavil.

This coast-to-home operation lasts barely 24 hours, ensuring that the fish remain fresh. The fish stock is preserved at a temperature of 0-4 degrees Celsius. “But,” Kadavil adds, “it is not frozen since the moisture will then get sucked out, affecting the taste.”

Besides marine fish, FreshToHome also sells freshwater fish and meat through its online platforms. The freshwater fish stocks are sourced from farmers in Yediyur, Kunigal and Andhra Pradesh, while the chicken comes from farmers based in Kanakapura and Chikkamagaluru. The meat and chicken markets too follow the same app-based bidding process as the fish.

App-based purchase
Customers could order over 200 varieties of fish and other produce either through the mobile App or the website (www.freshtohome.com). There are two delivery slots. Elaborates Kadavil, “If an order is made at 8 pm, delivery will be made the next day morning. For orders made before noon, deliveries are in the evening.”

Launched 11 months ago, FreshToHome currently sources fish from more than 1,000 fishermen, supplying the stock to over 60,000 customers in Bengaluru.

Avoiding middlemen and working directly with the source, the startup has achieved a gross margin of about 30 per cent, says Kadavil. Doubling its volumes every three months, FreshToHome now wants to expand to Delhi, Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram.